The Northwestern Wildcats barely sneaked out a victory against the Auburn Tigers last January in the Capital One Bowl. Coach Taylor was eager to get another shot to show what his team could do.

"I pleaded and pleaded with our AD until he finally got this game scheduled. I'm sure Auburn would love a chance to even up the score as well, but I think we will be ready," Coach Taylor told the press on Thursday.

Well Coach, your team really stepped it up.

Behind the arm of Jamaal Richardson and the legs of Stephen Simmons and Erik Humphrey, the Wildcats put on a clinic against the 2010 Auburn Tigers, defeating them 31-7.

Richardson threw for 2 touchdowns and 161 yards, while Simmons and Humphrey combined for 178 yards on the ground, 213 total yards, and 2 Touchdowns, balancing out the Wildcat's attack.

On the other side of the ball, Brad Phillips had 2 more interceptions, breaking the tie between Sherrick McManus and himself on the school record Career Interceptions. True-Freshman Middle linebacker Eric Ivey had 6 more tackles, proving to be a formidable replacement for Mike Dinard and Chris Jeske.